


Moonlight Sonata

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-07
Updated: 2006-05-07
Packaged: 2018-08-15 17:54:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8067070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Archer, T'Pol, hot springs. By Dee and Kat.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: Our response to the Archer's/Endeavors hottub/hotsprings challenge!  
  
Special thanks to mischief makers everywhere (Kat nudges Dee with a wink), hot tubs, patience, and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata...  


* * *

Captain Archer leaned back heavily in his bed as he tossed the ball against the wall over and over. Porthos watched the maneuver with sad little eyes, his head laying against his master's leg. With a pathetic little whimper Porthos managed to catch his master's attention, for this time when the ball came back Jonathan caught it easily. Tucking it under one arm, he reached over and scratched the pup on the head. He sighed. It had been a long week of nothingness. It was times like these that gave him too much time to think and question his choices. When his door chime went off , Jonathan didn't bother to get up. He moved his head and looked over to the door. His hand was left in midair as Porthos darted to the door and stood at attention. Archer smiled. There was only one person who had the ability to make the little dog act the way he was acting. With a shake of his head he sat up. "You and me both boy, you and me both." In a louder voice he granted entrance with a "Come in Sub-commander."

As T'Pol entered, Jonathan tossed the ball at her. She caught it easily as she sat on a nearby chair. Only a delicate arch of her brow told him that she registered the unexpected action. She glanced over at him, attempting to study him out of the corner of her eye, but she wondered who was studying who. He seemed to pick up every movement. She fought back a moment of unease.

Jonathan detected the flicker of movement easily. She seemed an open book to him now, he could read her so easily. He took a certain amount of pride in his knowledge of her emotions, even confronted her about them on occasion. As she pushed him, so he pushed back. She could deny emotion all she wanted but he knew differently.

She waited for him to say something but he didn't. There were times when his awareness of her was annoying as hell. At other times it was comforting to know that there was someone who understood her so well, to know that someone you trusted was there. Something flickered inside her again as she acknowledge that he would always be there for her, no matter what the costs, if he were able. She had to fight back the flutter of panic and something else she refused to acknowledge as she tried to formulate her request. She could tell she had not been successful in hiding her reaction as he stood and moved toward her.

He knelt in front of her, his eyes demanding that she meet them. "What can I do for you?" His voice was soft and gentle and his eyes sparkled.

She fought back the urge to swallow. "I would like to take a shuttle to the third planet in this system." Her eyes never left his.

He ran a hand through his hair as he searched his brain for answers. "There is nothing there but a dead world. I see no reason to allow my science officer to make the journey..." He stopped as he caught the look in her eyes. "Fine. It is obviously something you need to do." With a shake of his head he sighed. "But I'm going with you." He glanced down at Porthos. "Besides, Porthos would love the great outdoors."

"Captain, I am quite capable of making this trip alone." Her eyes dropped from his. Her voice lacked conviction and she knew it. "I would appreciate the company."

Jonathan stood and grinned down at her. "Well Porthos, looks like we have a date with the outdoors."

T'Pol fought back the urge to touch him. Her fingers curled into the arm of the chair. Why did his pleasure give her pleasure? Why did she have this need to touch him, feel him? It was illogical and yet it was there. She fought with it on a daily basis. She had to make sure to meditate before they left so she could enhance her calm.

As he watched relief flicker in her eyes, he knew he had made the right choice. She needed him. He had to suppress the emotions flying through him. The absolute rightness of knowing that she needed him around to support her as much as he needed her, was stunning. In that instant, he tamped down on a sudden rush of panic. She trusted him more than she did herself, the Vulcans, or any other living creature. Maybe that was what had pushed him into this secret game of loving her, wanting her. Trust was linked closely with respect and love, and perhaps there was a small chance for him yet. He shook himself. It was a dream and one best left alone for now, but he would take what he could get. After all, Enterprise had been a dream, and she was part of his life too. In fact, she had given him T'Pol. He had changed one dream into a reality, he would find a way to make another one come together. After all, he needed T'Pol about as much as he needed air to breathe. He watched as she quietly slipped away from him and went over to his door. Turning quickly he caught her attention. "T'Pol, we can leave as soon as I get some stuff together and make the arrangements. I'll meet you down there at 1900 hours." As she stepped out of the room, Jonathan watched her until the door closed and hid her from his view.

The journey down was quiet. Jonathan could only sigh as he controlled the small shuttle. Periodically he would toss T'Pol a look only to be met with huge, silent eyes, or to find her staring at the ever nearing surface. He knew only that these were Vulcan ruins, but her silence spoke volumes, as did the barely concealed sadness in her eyes. He wanted her to talk to him, to tell him what she had hidden in her eyes, but the silence was her right and he didn't push. As they landed, T'Pol all but lunged out of the shuttle. At her action, he debated bringing the picnic basket he had brought. In the end he decided to take the chance, as Porthos could smell the cheese and refused to leave it behind. Upon exiting Jonathan was met by ruins. The place reeked of decay and small stone graves were scattered everywhere. In their midst stood T'Pol.

T'Pol felt a little stirring in her heart as she took in the devastation around her. The temples where she had spent two years of her youth were in ruins. Her hand sought out Jonathan. She drew strength from the contact and his presence as she fought back the urge to cry and throw herself on the graves in front of her. She didn't question the logic of it, she just drew what she needed. Slowly she forced her mind back to the present and the man beside her. She couldn't believe how much he meant to her, how much she needed him. If she only knew how to proceed. If only he was Vulcan...but no. If he was Vulcan then he wouldn't be the man she knew and respected. He wouldn't be Jonathan Archer and she would now be married to someone else. No, she reiterated to herself, she was in the right place at the right time, with the right man.

T'Pol whispered a Vulcan prayer to the wind as Jonathan clutched her hand tightly. In this place of death she was life as he was life to her. She forced her mind from her past as a young girl as she turned away from the graves.

Jonathan could tell what this was doing to her. He wanted so much to comfort the woman standing in front of him; but he held back, afraid that any motion of his would be viewed as wrong. If only she was human. No, he thought to himself, is she was human then she wouldn't be here next to him. She wouldn't be in his life, telling him what to do or saving his life, and she wouldn't be lodged so deeply within his heart.

He waited as she pulled her hand away. Neither spoke, they didn't have to. T'Pol closed her eyes as if gathering strength. She calmly walked over to the picnic basket and picked it up. She turned back long enough to catch Jonathan's eye as she started walking off toward a small hillside. Jonathan followed, not wanting to let her out of his sight and wondered what was she up to.

It was nearly dusk when T'Pol stopped on a little out cove and set the basket down. Jonathan's legs where killing him. Every muscle in his body ached for it had been so long since he had hiked that far. He watched as she gingerly placed the picnic basket down and stared out at the falling night and rising steam from the hot springs in front of her. Mist seemed to envelope Archer in a clinging warmth. He forced himself forward until he was standing next to her and then he waited.

T'Pol slowly turned toward him as if compelled to explain. "I was here when I was younger. For two years I studied the way of logic with those buried here. It was a very long time ago." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as if she were searching for some answers. "I was one of the last students to come here. Even then the monks were old. When the last of the ancient ones was gone, the order disbanded and this place was left to ruin." She absorbed the silence and the comfort of Jonathan next to her. "I used to sneak up here at night and strip away all my clothes, as if by shedding them I could shed the restrictions of the order. They were very strict but they were a part of me. It was rebellion I think. I wanted to shed the restrictions. So I came here and would swim with nothing but the water and the moonlight surrounding me. It was so relaxing to the body and the mind, and so liberating at the same time. Sometimes I would spend the whole night out here."

Jonathan could relate to the things she spoke of, and offered comfort the only way he could. He stood silently beside her, one hand on her arm, as he imagined the young woman she spoke of. Porthos broke the silence by jumping on the basket and knocking it over. A bottle of water and a container of cheese spilled onto the ground. Archer gave T'Pol's arm a gentle squeeze before going over and picking up the basket. As he picked up the container of spilled cheese, Porthos looked up at him and begged. "You think I'm going to give you cheese after this stunt?" Jonathan shook a finger at him. The reprimand lost its effectiveness as T'Pol came over and picked a cheese cube out of the container and gave it to the begging pup. With a quick look at Jonathan, she picked up the basket and began to unload the contents.

"T'Pol," Archer stilled her hand by placing his on top of hers. "You don't have to do this."

"Captain you need your nourishment."

He smiled. "Well, maybe a drink and some chocolate mints to hold me over," he said as he pulled his hand away.

Her eyes met his. "I'm glad you are here."

It was full dark by the time they started their meal. For all that he had joked of a drink and chocolate, they sat and ate a leisurely meal. Jonathan had convinced Chef to pack crisp salad fixings and vegetables that would make a pleasing meal for a Vulcan. A lite wine complimented the meal and Jonathan cleared his mind of everything but the woman with him and the solitude of the night. They talked for nearly an hour as they ate, finishing the meal off with a plate of chocolate mints. As much as Jonathan enjoyed the conversation and the company, they hadn't planned to stay the night. He caught her eye as he took another sip of his wine. "We should probably be heading back."

The light in her eyes seemed different somehow. Her mood was more relaxed and her posturing seemed almost sensual, though he quickly shook away the thought. She nodded as she stood. "Why don't you take a dip in the hot springs while I pack up the remnants of our meal?"

He considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "That wouldn't be fair to you."

"Go ahead Captain. We have plenty of time and I know you are sore from our walk. I've seen you rubbing your leg when you didn't think I was looking. The springs should be very comforting. Besides, I will join you when I'm finished."

He glanced at the water and then back at her. "I didn't bring a swimsuit."

She shook her head. "I've seen you in your skivvies before Captain. They will suffice." 

His breath caught in his throat as the image of T'Pol in her underwear came to mind. Skinny dipping with his First Officer would be a treat, for sure. He wondered briefly if he could handle it. With a shrug he gave in. Heaven forbid he turn down such a perfect opportunity. So much for the gentleman his mother raised. He quickly moved to the opposite side of the pool, and shimmied out of his clothes. T'Pol was right, the water was perfect and he allowed himself a moment to relax.

As she packed up the food, T'Pol placed the plate of mints to the side. She had never indulged in sweets before, but now she could understand the human obsession with them. She felt light and relaxed and comfortable for the first time in a long time. She wondered if perhaps the wine had affected her judgment, but she shook it off. She carefully stoppered the bottle to eliminate that temptation, but she was unable to resist the chocolate. Somewhere along the line she had forgotten that Vulcan's do not touch their food with their hands.

As she finished up, T'Pol slowly moved to the plate she had placed by the side of the hot springs. She pulled a now melting chocolate mint from it and gingerly nipped at the sweet treat, savoring it, until it was finished. As she closed her eyes in pure joy, she delicately lapped at her chocolate coated fingers.

Through the rising steam, Jonathan took in each subtle move. As her lips pursed around her slim finger, his body jerked in reaction. He could barely suppress a groan of frustration as he watched her tongue lap at each chocolate tipped digit. He closed his eyes briefly, imagining those lips and that tongue on his body, flirting with his mouth. Those thoughts caused an uncomfortable shift as he tried to tamp them down. The wine and the heat were relaxing him perhaps too much. So he opened his eyes, hoping his reality was less tempting. He was wrong. He stared in wonder as T'Pol gracefully pealed off her uniform. Her eyes locked with his through the mist, and seemed to be beginning him to watch and admire and want. He was helpless to resist, afraid to move for fear of breaking the spell.

T'Pol glanced over the water, taking in the essence of the man in front of her. Tiny beads of moisture coated his chest, sparkling in the starlight as it highlighted the planes and textures of his flesh. The smooth rivulets of water danced seductively in patterns of delicate color that traced the muscle like silken threads. The urge to touch was strong and her fingers fluttered for a brief second as if they could actually feel the texture of him beneath them. She studied the broad expanse of chest, admiring the color and texture. Thoughts of running her hands along it caused her fingers to clench again. He looked almost mythical, like the statues of the Greek gods she had seen in a museum on Earth. She followed a drop of water as it ran through the thick pelt of hair on his chest, down the line of his body and back into the steaming pool. Her eyes closed briefly as she imagining tracing that very path with her tongue. The sensuality of her thoughts stunned her for a moment, then instinct took over. She needed to be with him, to join him in those steamy depths. She gracefully removed her uniform, her eyes locking with his as she disrobed. She searched them, finding interest and arousal in their depths, heightening her own.

In a final move, she removed the last of her clothes, standing proud and naked before him. His breath caught in his throat as he imagined tracing the delicate curves of her body. Every atom, every muscle in his body strained to be closer to her, but again he dared not move. As much as he wanted her, and he had wanted her for a very long time, he knew this move was hers. He watched as she sampled another chocolate, his eyes fastening on the pink tongue as it darted out to clean the chocolate off her bottom lip. He envied that tongue for a moment, but then he just wanted access to it. For a moment he honestly thought he was dreaming and that he would wake as he had a thousand times to unfulfilled frustration.

T'Pol stood at the edge of the water and closed her eyes. She acknowledged the briefest brush of wind against her naked flesh. It seemed to tease her in a combination of caress and lack of substance. She could also sense Jonathan now at the edges of her mind. His need was great, nearly as strong as her own. The temptation was too much to resist. She slowly opened her eyes as she reached for another chocolate. She held the mint for a moment, watching as the melting chocolate dripped down her fingers. Then she stepped silently and gracefully into the water, moving toward her heart's desire. She felt like a feather soft and lite, just floating as she reached Jonathan. She stood in front of him, so close her thighs touched his knees.

In that instant Jonathan knew he had two choices. He could question his fortune and ignore what was being offered him, or he could attempt to hold it in his grasp forever. He didn't want to question it. Heavens knew he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life, but the actions weren't consistent with T'Pol. While he understood that she was no innocent in the was of the world, neither was she a temptress to seduce the unwary. She was seducing him though, and he didn't know what to do about it. All thought fled as her eyes locked with his again. They seemed to bore into his very soul, seeking all his secrets. One hand offered him the sticky treat of chocolate as the other drifted to his chest to tangle in the hair their. As his lips closed over the treat, he sucked her index finger in with it, teasing it gently with teeth and tongue. He was lost, and he didn't care.

T'Pol's eyes darkened as Jonathan suckled her finger. Each tug of his mouth struck an answering cord deep in her body. She wanted his hands on her. Her eyes fixed on the dark smear of chocolate on his lower lip as he released her finger. She brought that finger to her own mouth and drew it in slowly savoring the lingering traces of chocolate and Jonathan. As she withdrew it, they both exhaled sharply. The hand on his chest traced negligently over stiff male nipples, her nails as they caught, causing him to shiver. Temptation was too great. She leaned forward, her breath whispering over his lips. "Do you want me Jonathan?"

His body bucked in response to her words, but he didn't have a chance to answer as she sucked his lower lip into her mouth. His fingers clenched in response and then they were digging into her hips, dragging her onto his lap. The first contact of her flesh against his own dragged a ragged groan from him. Never in his life had something felt so necessary and so right. He banded his arms tightly about her marveling at the feel of her soft breasts pressing into his chest. His mouth closed over hers and took over the kiss. The time for play was driven from his mind as desire slammed into him hard and fast. He barely noticed as her arms curled around his neck, holding him as tightly as he held her, He bit at her lips, nipping and sucking them in a fever of taste and sensation, taking advantage of her gasp of surprise to sweep the depths of her mouth with his tongue. She tasted of wine and chocolate, and something so uniquely T'Pol that he shuddered at the very thought of it. That taste was enough to make him want to savor her. The need inside him flared and wavered and then he grasped his control to him and pushed her back a bit, lessening the contact. He didn't count on her need as she tried to burrow into him, demanding more as she ran desperate fingers over his shoulders and tried to pull him back. Jonathan gasped and she undulated against him but he needed this to be more than just a flash fire. He wanted them both to burn slowly and thoroughly. His hands curled around her wrists and drew them from his neck as he pushed her a little further away. "Wait...wait..." Each word was like a punch to his stomach but as necessary to him as she was. Her eyes were confused and hazed with desire and he could see the innocent under the temptress and he knew he was right. Her whispered "Jonathan?" tore at his heart and almost overrode his will, but he held himself in check and ran his hands soothingly up and down her arms. "I want you T'Pol. I want you very much, but I want to do this right and I mean to."

Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips where the taste of him taunted her. She understood sex and need and she wanted him. What she didn't understand was why he was waiting. Her understanding of human males was that they were easy. Never in the entire span of her life had she felt like this. Inside, her stomach was knotted and there was a pulsing there as well. She didn't want to think of the whys and wheres, afraid that she would come to her senses, afraid that he would come to his. Straining toward him, she jerked her arms free of his grasp. She had to touch him, to be part of him. Her hands slid over his chest , tangling in the soft hair there, enjoying the simple spring of it against her palms and over her fingers. To her restricted senses he was a tactile overload and she relished it. She arched her body into his once more as her fingers twisted in his chest hair. Desperately she tugged, trying to force him closer, trying to fill the ache that had been building for what seemed like forever.

Jonathan allowed her a moment to explore, and then the feel of her hands on him made him want his hands on her and once more he was pushing her away. "Slow down sweetheart...just slow down."

She leaned forward, her mouth closing over the spot where his neck joined his shoulder. She bit down, hard, causing him to jerk against her. As his hands came up she slid closer once more until her groin pressed to his. He was hot and hard against her and the ache inside intensified. For the briefest of moments she understood the mating drive of her people, the urge to mate or die and she wondered briefly if there was something that was triggering that in her. She froze at the thought even as she acknowledged it. Suddenly, as if it were a dam bursting, she opened her mind to him. His thoughts crashed in on her like a tidal wave. The startling intensity of his need and thoughts nearly overwhelmed her, at the same time they drove her to burrow closer. Her hands slid down his body, slipping under the band of his underwear to grasp him in her hand. She nearly laughed at the raw surge of power that swept through her, the knowledge that he wanted and needed her in that moment every bit as much as she wanted and needed him. An image formed in her mind and she didn't know if it was from him or her and she didn't care. Her hands slid over him, tightening and releasing in a repetitive stroke that had him groaning and pulling her closer.

Jonathan couldn't think and he could barely breath. It was just the intimacy of her touch. He was in her mind and closer to her then he had ever been. Just as he knew he was in her thoughts, he knew she was in his, and the knowledge thrilled him in a way he couldn't explain. A part of him was terrified that she could see this much of him, but he wasn't resentful. In fact the very knowledge kicked his arousal up another notch, and then his hands were on her once again, sliding over the delicate curve of her breast, tracing the line of her back and the swell of a hip, before dipping into the slick depths between her thighs. The knowledge that her body wanted him too blew the last of his control. He shifted her enough to skim his boxers down his legs and then he was lifting her and sliding her over him. He feared for a moment that the water would wash away her body's response, but he need not have worried. The tip of his arousal slid through her folds causing her to arch against him once more, and then her fingers were there, guiding him and he was inside her. The feel of her around him was slick and tight, and hotter than the springs. He gripped her hips tightly to hold her to him and allow her time to adjust. His control had slid back in that instant of contact as he had slid home and her body had stiffened fractionally against his. It was enough. One hand splayed on her lower back, the fingers caressing gently over the curve of her bottom. The other hand cupped her neck and drew her to him for a kiss. He ignored the frenzy of need she kept channeling to him, instead he coaxed her mouth open again so he could taste her. The way his lips and tongue moved over hers was almost leisurely now, as if she were a fine wine, rare and precious, to be savored. The tip of his tongue traced her lips and he gently alternated between the upper and lower, sucking them into his mouth and nibbling at them. Each sigh and gasp of breath was weighed and tasted and given back in gentle duel.

T'Pol wanted more and so she changed the pressure, fiercely sucking his tongue into her mouth. Her species was not much for kissing, though it was something that was done in private among the mated. All she could do was feel, her emotions as free as the night and stars around her. She bucked against him, her body pleading for movement, anything that would complete their joining. She sighed and rewarded him with an eager thrust of her tongue as Jonathan complied.

His hands slid to her hips as he guided her movements. He encouraged a slow pace which he could sense frustrated her, but he didn't want to rush. The feel of her was so right, like coming home, that he never wanted it to end. T'Pol had other ideas though and as her fingers curled into his chest and her tongue dueled with his, he couldn't help but increase the pace. She was close but he was closer and he desperately needed her with him, mind, body and soul. Fingers dipped and curved and slid against the sensitive bud between her thighs, and with a few gentle flicks she was convulsing around him and then he was joining her, complete.

In the aftermath she sagged against him, her body strangely exhilarated yet exhausted. Jonathan hummed in his throat as his hands slid lazily over her back. He was reluctant to leave her. The closeness they had shared was still with them and he could sense the confusion of her thoughts. He kept stroking her, keeping his thoughts calm and content as he allowed her time to think through her actions. Part of him was afraid now to question the whys of it, uncertain where their paths would take them, but he needed her to know that this was more to him than just sex, that she was a part of him and had been for a long time. Cuddling her close, he opened his mind to her and allowed her to see all of him, what he thought and felt, praying it was enough and not too much, hoping against hope for no regrets.

T'Pol lifted her head so that her eyes could meet with his once more. The uncertainty there frightened him, but he remained steady. Her hands came up to stroke his cheeks and her lips brushed lightly across his chin. "There are no regrets. I am not certain why now, but I wanted you." Glancing down, she stroked her hands over his chest again. "I did not know if it was the same for you, but in this place of death and sadness I wanted a new beginning. It was time."

He smiled as he stroked her cheek. "It was time." His hand curled around her neck and he drew her closer for another kiss. "To new beginnings."

Her hum against his lips and the quickening of her body around his own was all he the agreement he needed.


End file.
